


The truth

by DangerRollins



Series: Carl finds himself [15]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 16:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7764937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DangerRollins/pseuds/DangerRollins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carl finds out why Russel is acting strange.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The truth

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I made this one as long as I could though!

"It's been a month." Lip stated,Sending Carl a pointed look. Carl shoveled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth before muttering "Your point is?" Lip rolled his eyes and took a seat at the kitchen table as well. "She needs to come back home at some point." He said before taking Carl's cereal. Carl groaned before shrugging his shoulders. "It isn't like I'm forcing her to stay out. I just...Would prefer if she didn't come back home until she learns to be nice to Debbie."

"Carl,It's nice that you care for Debs,But she isn't your only sister." Lip signed. Carl rolled his eyes,Not wanting to hear the same speech. "Franny is my only niece,Though. She's an innocent little baby. She's done nothing wrong and it isn't right for Fiona to treat her like an outsider. She can come back when she can be polite,How about that?" He said before standing up. He ran up the stairs before Lip could reply,And smiled seeing that Russel was on his bed.

His brow was furrowed and he licked at his lips every now and then,Clearly concentrated. He was writing something down hurriedly and Carl smiled to himself. He couldn't get over the fact that he had such a cute boyfriend. "What you doing?" Carl asked quietly,Not wanting to bother him. "Writing an emo poem." Russel answered. Carl raised his brows. "Why?" He asked.

"Long story. But whoever has the best poem wins a new camera. I'm entering like twelve times under different names because I really need one." Russel explained looking up from his paper. "These are pretty generic. They talk a lot about death,But I feel like one could win,You know if the judges are into this type of thing."

"Babe,I could've just stolen a camera for you." Carl smiled. Russel shook his head. "No,I wanna win one fair and square. I need to be a man and take the time to google poems myself." He said before hopping off of the bed. "Could I spend the night here tonight?"

"Of course,You don't have to ask. But why?" Carl asked curiously. "My sisters are all on their periods and I can't take it. Plus,I robbed a liquor store the other day and I don't think it'd be smart to go home right now. Somebody might come looking." Russel shrugged. "Why did you rob a liquor store?" Carl asked. "To get them Benjamins,That dough,M-O-N-E-Y." Russel smirked. "I could've-" "Given me money,I know I know." Russel rolled his eyes. "Stop offering me things." He muttered.

"Why wouldn't I offer you things? You're my boyfriend,I wanna get stuff for you." Carl said. Russel looked down and didn't say anything which made Carl narrow his eyes. Something was obviously bothering the older boy,And he wanted to know what it was.

"Russel-"

"I forgot." Russel cut in before sending Carl a small smile. "I can't stay tonight. I actually do have to go home. Mom said something about needing to speak with me or something. Can't skip out on that or she'll have my ass. I doubt any cops will come by. South side has shitty police anyway,Right?"

Carl could see that he was lying through his teeth,So he crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his chin,Trying to look somewhat intimidating. Russel didn't say anything. He grabbed his coat and slowly walked past Carl,Ignoring the knowing look on his face. "Love you." He muttered before walking out quickly.

Carl stared at the door that Russel had walked out of moments before for a little longer. He needed to figure out what was going on,And there was only one person who could help him.

********

"You think he's cheating on me? Cause I ain't here for that. He takes my dick like I'm the only one giving it to him,Why would he need anybody else?" Carl spat before taking a sip of his beer. Mickey cringed at the thought of the young Gallagher having sex. He didn't need that image in his head. "Ugh,Nah I don't think so." Mickey said,Staring at Carl.

Carl was obviously angry. He wore a permanent scowl on his face and he was fidgeting like hell. He was drinking his fourth beer since he'd been sitting with The Milkovich and it was starting to affect him. "Why are you so heated? Why do you assume he's cheating on you?" Mickey asked. Carl shrugged. "I don't know,It's what people around here do." He grumbled. "I offer to give him shit. I offer to buy him this and steal him that and he fucking refuses every time. And today,He asked if he could spend the night with me but then changed his mind like two seconds later. What was that all about? Did he forget about the date that he had with his sugar daddy?" Carl seethed. He didn't even know why he was so mad. It's just,The thought of the boy he loved cheating on him was too much for him to handle. He felt like Russel might be slipping away from him,Whether he was cheating or not,And he couldn't take that.

"I think you should just cool down,And next time you see him,Sit down and talk to him about it." Mickey said calmly. He himself was never one for talking,But he was trying to be the sensible one in the situation since Carl wasn't.

Carl sighed and put his beer down before laying his head down on the kitchen table. Mickey got up,Knowing that the younger boy probably just wanted a minute to think. He patted his back before walking out of the house. He needed to find Ian anyways.

Carl groaned and stood up,Pacing the floor slowly. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He couldn't even think straight because he could hear his own heart pounding in his ears. Before he knew what he was doing,He stopped his pacing and slammed his fist into the wall. He let out a Yelp and clutched it to his chest. Tears were stinging at his eyes and he couldn't even stop them from falling. He still had no idea why he was even so upset. Russel hadn't really done anything wrong. He simply changed his mind about staying the night. So why was Carl so upset? Why did the older boy have this affect on him?

He rubbed his hands up and down his face a few times before sliding down to the floor. He brought his knees to his chest and laid his head on his arms.

He was tired of drama and pain and angst. He was tired of feeling like he had to fix everybody else's problem. He was tired of being the 'protector'. Maybe that was why he was so upset.

He hadn't spoken to Fiona in over a month and although he hated to admit it,He was really missing her. No matter what she did,She'd always be his sister. He missed her waking him up in the morning with her loud talking,He missed her rubbing his hair and sending him soft smiles when he did something good,He missed her hugging him tightly when he was upset about something and he missed her making him breakfast and making sure he was well fed throughout the day. He even missed her nagging at him to stay out of trouble and to be safe with Russel.

Then there was Debbie. He still had her around but she was focused on Franny. They hadn't exchanged any words that weren't playful insults in at least two weeks now. Debbie had gone back into the same shell that she'd been in when Fiona was here. She wasn't allowing anybody to watch Franny for too long,She wasn't trying to speak to anybody for longer than two seconds,And it made Carl feel like he was a bad uncle. Maybe he'd done something wrong,Maybe when he did get the chance to watch Franny he didn't do it right.

Lip and Ian weren't around as much as they used to be,And that was perfectly fine. They were grown men,Of course they'd have their own lives. When they were over,though,Carl enjoyed spending time with them. He wished he could see more of them.

Mickey was always there to talk when Carl needed him though,And Liam was still running around happily,Giggling at everything.

But now,Here was Russel. Carl just couldn't lose him anytime soon. He knew it was probably wrong to depend on him so much. He was playing a dangerous game by allowing himself to be so attached to a boy who could leave him at any given moment,But that was a risk he was willing to take.

Carl sighed a little before standing up. He needed to wrap his bleeding hand up before he went to do what he knew he needed to. He had to talk to Fiona.

******

Carl waited patiently outside of Kev and V's door. He was pretty nervous. He hadn't talked to his older sister since the fight. Maybe she was still mad at him. Maybe she would be over it,But wouldn't wanna come back home. After all,Here she was free of all her responsibilities.

The door swung open to reveal a naked Svetlana. Carl cleared his throat and tried not to look at her body because he knew if he did she'd punch him or something. "Always knocking at door when the sex is happening." She said before stepping aside to let him in. "Kevin Veronica and I have been busy. No more condoms left." She stated. Carl shook his head and looked in her direction before quickly looking away again. "No,Ugh,I'm here to talk to my sister." He said.

"Fiona? She isn't here right now." Svetlana said,Staring blankly at him. He kept eye contact with her and furrowed his brow. "Where is she?" He asked. Svetlana sighed before shaking her head. She stepped closer to Carl,Causing him to hurriedly step back. He gulped a little. He thought he was used to her by now. She'd been around for a long time now and he'd had plenty of conversations with her,But he'd never had a full conversation with her when she was naked!

"She's upstairs in room. She tells me to tell all people who come to see her that she isn't home. She's sleeping. But I don't have time to make up lie. I have to get back to room and fuck my wife. Are we done here?" She asked. He nodded silently,Not knowing what to say. She began walking up the stairs but stopped to face him again. "It took you long enough." She huffed. "She won't join in on sex and complains when we fuck in living room. Party pooper as the Americans call it. I hope you two make up." She smiled before continuing to walk.

Carl waited until he heard a door close before walking up the stairs as well. He walked towards an open door,Peeking in. He saw Fiona was in there sleeping and sighed before walking towards her. He sat on the bed and shook her lightly to wake her up. When she began to stir he stopped shaking her and waited for her to fully wake up. "Carl?" She asked groggily. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" She asked before sitting up. He shook his head. "No..." Well now that he was here,He really didn't know what to say. Where would he even start?

"What happened to your hand?" She asked,Wiping at her eyes.

"Not important." He shrugged. "How have you been?" He asked. She shrugged her shoulders too before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. "Alright." She answered simply. She walked towards the table that sat in the corner of the room and picked up a water bottle before looking towards him again and raising her brows.

Carl sighed,Knowing that she was still mad at him. "I'm sorry." He gave in. Although he was usually too stubborn to apologize,He was feeling quite drained. He didn't have the energy to argue anymore. Fiona was obviously shocked at his quick apology. She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded a little. "Okay." She mumbled.

"You could apologize too you know." Carl rolled his eyes.

"For what?" Fiona asked.

"For being such a bitch to your own fucking family!" Carl shouted. He hadn't meant to yell but he was fed up with the entire situation and he was gonna make sure that she knew that. "I don't get why it's so hard for you to just take a step back and realize that you're in the wrong this time! Debbie got pregnant,Debbie had her baby instead of killing it,And Debbie is now raising her baby. It's over,It's done with. There is no turning back now,Nothing you can say or do to change the situation,So get the fuck over it and stop treating your little sister and your first niece like shit!" He growled. She was going to chime in,But he started talking again before she could. "I don't know if you've noticed,But Debbie hasn't asked for your help once since she had Franny. In fact, She rarely asks anyone for help with the baby because you've basically made her feel like if she does,She's a bad mom or she's 'Immature' and 'Not prepared to be a parent'. But one thing is for sure,If she ever does decide that she needs help,She won't take it from you so you have nothing to worry about." He ranted.

Fiona stood there,Staring at her baby brother for a few moments. She didn't really know what to say. Lucky for her,Carl wasn't quite finished. "Look,I came here to tell you that I really do miss having you around. Don't get me wrong,We can make it without you. All the bills got paid,Everybody is still alive,We're fine. But you're my sister. You raised me. I do miss you. I...I want you to come home."

"I want to come home." Fiona sighed. She slowly walked towards her younger brother and gave him a big hug. "I miss you too. And I miss Lip and Ian's arguing,Liam's constant giggling...And I miss Debbie stomping away from me and Franny crying all the time. I even miss Mickey." She laughed a little before letting go of him. "I want you to know that I'm proud of you,Carl." She smiled.

"You are?" Carl asked. Now he was confused.

"Yes,I am." She nodded. "I don't think you know this,But you're an amazing person. You took care of the family while I was gone. You worked hard to pay the bills and made sure everything was running smoothly...You kicked me out-"

"Fiona." He sighed.

"No,I'm serious. I can admit that I was being a bitch. I really was in the wrong and instead of letting me get away with it,You told me off. You did what you thought was right,And you did it for your family. I respect that." She told him. "You're turning out to be a pretty great human being. If you don't mind,I wanna take credit for that." She winked.

They both laughed before hugging again.

*******

After helping Fiona get her stuff back to the Gallagher house,Carl headed out again. He and Fiona were now on the same page again and now it was time for him to figure out what was going on with Russel.

He knocked on his door a couple times before stepping back. It was soon opened by the one and only Joanna. She sent him a kind smile and then turned around. "RUSSEL! YOUR HUNKY BOYFRIEND WHO SHOULD BE MY HUNKY BOYFRIEND IS HERE TO SEE YOU!" She yelled. Carl shook his head and walked into the house. "Nice to see you again." He chuckled.

"I know it is." She said,Looking him up and down. "You get hotter every time I see you. Too bad I'm taken now." She smirked. He raised a brow. "You have a boyfriend?" He asked. She nodded happily,Bouncing on the heels of her feet a couple times. "He's the cutest boy in school and I went on a date with him yesterday." She bragged. "He bought me a burrito. It was so romantic." She sighed.

"Well that's nice. Be careful alright? Boys are whores. Remember that." He told her. She rolled her eyes. "Don't you start. When Russel found out I was going on a date he yelled at me for two hours straight and tried to make me back out of it. Overprotective asshole." She muttered the last part and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well If it was me I would've yelled at you for three hours." Carl laughed. "If he hurts you,You just tell uncle Carl and I'll fuck him up for you. Deal?" He asked. Joanna crinkled her nose and shook her head. "Ew,No. I can't have a crush on my uncle. You're more like...Daddy Carl." She smirked."Step away from my boyfriend you little pervert." Russel said as he came down the stairs. "Go watch the Teletubbies or something."

"Nah,I think I'll go sext my boyfriend instead." She laughed. When she received a glare from both Carl and Russel,She held her hands up in defense. "Kidding,Kidding. Only Rachel does that." She smirked before running up the stairs. Russel made a mental note to kill his older sister before turning to Carl. He sent him a small smile and waved awkwardly. "Sorry about her." He chuckled.

"It's fine,I love her." Carl waved him off. "I came to talk to you about earlier." He jumped right to the point. "Are we okay? Did I do something? Are you cheating on me? Am I-"

"Whoa,Hey!" Russel cut in,His eyes widening. "Slow down. You didn't do anything wrong,No. And why do you assume I'm cheating on you?" He asked. Carl shrugged. "It's what people do around here." He said again. "Well,I'm not...People." Russel said. "I don't have the energy for that cheating shit. It's too much fucking work."

"Well then,Wassup?" Carl asked curiously. "You and I both know your mom didn't need to talk to you. You just suddenly changed your mind about staying with me earlier. You had me worried." "I'm sorry." Russel sighed. "It's not you. I mean...Well it kind of is,But it's mostly me!"

"It's not you it's me?" Carl asked. "Oh shit,What the fuck?! That's not something I wanna hear! You can't leave me!" He nearly yelled. Russel shook his head and pushed Carl onto the nearby couch,Trying to get him to calm down. He sat on his lap and curled up,Hugging his neck tightly. "I'm not breaking up with you,Chill out." He mumbled into his chest. "I've been stressed lately and it's got me acting weird I guess. I'm sorry."

"Stressed?" Carl asked,Stroking at the older boys hair. "You didn't tell me you were stressed. What are you stressed about?" He asked. Russel sighed. "Didn't tell you because you've got enough shit going on. I didn't wanna worry you with my minor problems."

"Your problems aren't minor. You can always tell me about what's up with you. I don't mind listening." Carl said softly. "My dad is around again." Russel muttered. "I was in the liquor store,Like I said earlier. I was doing my robbing,Gettin' my money,And then when I ran out I saw my dad. He was just standing there,Smirking at me. Scared the shit out of me." He nearly whimpered. Carl continued to stroke his hair and plant small kisses on his forehead every now and then to comfort him.

"I'm sorry. Is that why you didn't wanna come home? You thought he'd look for you?" Carl asked. Russel nodded. "Yeah. Then I remembered that he might still show up,And my sisters and mom would be here." He explained. "I won't let anything happen to you or your family,I promise." Carl smiled. "I bet your sisters would beat his ass anyways."

"Maybe if they were expecting him..." Russel muttered. "I'm the only one that knows he's here. I didn't wanna tell them and freak them out. I hate to bring him up. Brings back memories..." He sighed.

"I know it's hard,Baby." Carl reassured him. "You have to tell them,Though. You don't want them to run into him randomly on the street and be so surprised that they freeze up." "You're right." Russel muttered. "I'll tell them tomorrow. Thanks for listening to me. I'm sorry for not telling you anything sooner."

"It's okay. I love you,You know." Carl smiled.

"I love you more."

"That's impossible,Dumbass."

**Author's Note:**

> You gotta love Joanna. 
> 
> By the way,I never told you guys all the names of Russel's sisters. There's obviously Joanna,Who is thirteen, Amanda who is now sixteen, Rachael who is 17 and Noelle who is 19. Just so you guys know who they are if they're mentioned in the future!
> 
> The next part will have more Joanna in it so yay!


End file.
